Article elevating caster mounting



Dec. 22. 1953 R Ross, HAL 2,663,048

ARTICLE ELEVATING CASTER MOUNTING Filed March 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS: ROBERT G. ROSIJR. Jon/v P Ross BY 5%,; m

ATTORNEYS R. G; ROSS, JR, ET AL 7 ARTICLE ELEVATING CASTER MOUNTING Dec. 22. 1953 Filed March 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR'SZ:

Roam r G. RossJnf ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. 22, 1953 ARTICLE ELEVATING CASTER MOUNTING Robert G. Ross, Jr., and John P. Ross, Charlotte, N. 0.

Application March 19, 1951, Serial No.216,409 V This invention relates to devices to ease the moving of furniture and the like from one place .to another and more especially to an improved cam 1 actuated retractable caster for furniture whereinthe caster elements are normally retracted and the furniture is supported by the conventional legs thereof and wherein said caster elements may be moved away from the bottom of the furniture and in contact with the floor to, raise'thefurniture and to permit the same to, be'inoved onthe 'caster rollers.

It is an object of this invention to provide a retractable caster unit for furniture construction to permit heavy furniture and the like to be easily moved and which comprises a retractable caster unit adapted to be secured to the lower part of an article of furniture and having cam actuated means for lowering the same to raise the furniture thus causing the furniture to be supported byfthe caster rollers.

4 It is another object of this invention to provide a retractable caster unit. for supporting articles of furniture and the like comprising a pair of hinged plates, the uppermost of said plates being secured to the lower surface of an article of furniture and the lowermost of said plates extending downwardly at an angle and then extending in substantially parallel relation to theof the caster unit.

It is another object of this invention to provide a retractable caster unit of the type described having upper and lower hinged plates, said lower plate having at least one caster attached thereto and a cam shaft and a cam for lowering the lowerplate to cause the caster or casters to be moved into lowered p'ositionand said retractable caster unit also being provided with means for holding the casters in lowered position while 1 movement is imparted to the article of furniture. Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the deiscription proceeds when taken in connection with the-accompanyingdrawings, in which- 7 Claims. (01. 16-34) Figure 1 is a front elevation of an article of furniture, with parts broken away, illustrating the manner in which the improved retractable caster units may be attached thereto;

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevation of the lower right-hand portion of Figure 1 but showing the caster unit in lowered position;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View through the improved caster unit taken substantially along the line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the improved double roller caster unit removed from an article of furniture;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevation looking at the right-hand side of the righthand caster unit substantially along the line 55 in Figure 1 but showing the casters in lowered position;

Figure 6 is a plan view of the improved caster unit. removed from an article of furniture, with the upper plate thereof swung to open position relative to the lower plate so as to illustrate the lower and upper surfaces of the respective upper and lower plates.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, therewill be observed in Figure 1, an article of furniture such as a cabinet 10 which is shown by way of illustration only, it being understood that the present invention may be associated with various types of furniture and the like. The cabinet I0 has a top portion ll, side walls l2 and I3 and may be provided with an intermediate wall It and front doors [5 and I6 together with a rear wall ll, all suitably secured to each other in a conventional manner and supported on a bottom 18. A skirt is formed around the lower portion of the cabinet I0, forming side leg portions 20 and 2|,. a rear leg or support portion 22 and a front leg portion 23, the leg portions 20 to 23, inclusive serving to support 'the cabinet H) on any suitableosupport such as a floor F. If desired, any suitable type of legs maybe provided whichrwill support the bottom It in spaced relation to the fioor. i y

In furniture construction of this type, :it is usually desirable to provide a skirtor-fiangeportion such as formed 'by the legs 20 to 23,:inclusive, to support the article offurniture and to prevent the accumulation of dust thereunder. If the article of'furniture is heavy in weight, it is very difficult to move the furniturefrom one place to another as may be desiredwithout marring the floor F and, frequently, a hand truck or the like must be used in order. to move the furniture.

To overcome this difficulty, there are provided the improved caster units broadly designated at 25 and 2B. The caster units 25 and 26 are of identical construction and therefore a description will be given of the right-hand caster unit 25, illustrated as supporting the right-hand portion of the cabinet ID in Figure 1, like parts of the left-hand caster unit 26 bearing like reference characters with the prime notation added.

The caster unit :25 comprises an upper plate 21 whichfiis suitably-gseoiired to thello'wer righthand surface of the bottom [8 of the cabinet l as by screws 28. hingedly connected to one side of the upperplate member 21, as at 3|, and it will 'be olziserved that the lower plate member extendshdownwardl y eat;

A lower plate member 30 rise an angle from the hinge point 3| and is provided with a flat portion 32 which is disposed in sub stantially parallel relation to the upper -p-late 21 when the caster unit is in a lowered or operative cilitate swivel movement tor the caster. brackets 33an'd 34 about the swivel pins 31.

The caster brackets 33 andv 34 are provided with caster rollers 40 and M, respectively, rotata- 43, respectively, penetratingthe l'e'g'sfof the brackets 33"an'd3fi.' Itis'ihus seen that'thecaster rollers 4 0 and ii I may rotate within the brackets 33 and '34 7 respectively, and 'theijbrackets 33 land 3 m y-pivot about the bracket P1311125 35.311636, respectively; I e

v Ifdesird the upper late 21 ;andi the 1cw' r plate 'au may be relatively shor'tt'ifilngth' and have only a single caster roller or bracket secured theretb'an d-fonefofitlie 'caste'r uni't's' thus' formed may jbe placed at each'jcorner off the cabinet. However, it is; preferred that a doubleroller caster unit;-fsuchas is illustrated thje drawings, be used hue-requiring niytwi or saidzunit'e for article of ftrrniturr-r su h as the cabinet I ll. By themseof such a unit a-c'aster roller will'thus be pos itien'e'dat seem-comes of the cabinet .and two oftherollers-"filay be aCtfiatBdisimiiIta IIE ously in a nianneh'tobe described;

rne'upp rxplateanemper-zi is-provided with" a pair of bearing blockslk'and 45*suitably se ures thereto adjacent -bpposed ends thereoffil as by screw 46, ar' idflthe bearing'blocks 4'4 and ,45 have awam-shaitm rotatablymiounted thereinp. The camshaft-+41 'ei'et'eirds -1rorxigi'tr'ridinally oi'jthe pas;- teruhit 25- and the right hand enil thereof, in Figure 5, secured agamsr-rongrmemm "sliding movement,- as =by "a collar 4 la su itablysecured ion the cam shaft 41 as by a set screw 48. The "left -han";1;end o fthe-*cainshaffifll" attends 'beyond the :ed'ge' of jth'e p ates and} 0 mile provided wit1i-wp1um1ity or flats- 5H"ariapted re receive "a hand. =c'rankr5 l for manualfrotati oh fjth'e cam shaft "41. The leg fpbrti'oh'" 23 0f ensemb e of furniture- I0 has air opening 23 a; therethlfough through which-the cml of the shaft "41 havingth'e flats -50 thereon"ei tends so ias tojbe accessib e to an operator;

The cam: shaft {41 held against .lofigltudinal 4 sliding movement in the bearing 44 by a suitable collar 52 secured on the cam shaft 41 as by a set screw 53. The cam shaft 41 is provided with a pair of spaced cams and Bi secured thereon, as by welding, and it will be observed that the cams t0 and SI are secured in off-center relation to the cam shaft 41 but in identical or coinciding relation to each other. Each of the cams .GQ-ahd-M is lockedproper adjusted position .onsthegcam-shaftfl ibyxa set-screw 59 and is then welded in place as shown. The upper plate member 21 is provided with openings 62 and 63 and the bottonfi 18 of the cabinet I0 is also provided-with-cutwut portions or cavities 64 and v;65.to-permitthe cams 60 and 6| to rotate 360 degreesiwith the cam shaft 41.

Referring to'Figure 1, it will be observed that when-the flange -or skirt portion of the cabinet lflifozimed from the legs 20 to 23, inclusive, is resting upon the floor F, the cams 60 and 6| will be positioned with the greater portion thereof disposed above the? cam ish'aft'fl l 3 This'wvillip'erll'lltfthe fiat portio'nT'32 of the loweFpl'ate an to be disposed-atamangle to the upper plat ZT and will p'erinit upw'ard movement of the casterrollers iil' and-M so that th'e'entire weight :of metamnet IE3: will bsllppblliedby the le'gstfi l to 12 31inclu'sive; withthe"rollersf lfi and 41' resting uppn thefi'oorF. a n

Now; when'it is 'd'esiredto 'lowerthecaster units 25 "and 2 6 so "that the casterfrolleiis' will sup;- port the weight of'theicabinet 1 tithe hand crank 51 is inserted-omthe'flats. 50 offthje ca'm jshaft 47 and may be manua ly rotated in a :cou'nter; clockwise direction; from the position shown. Figure 1 to ith'at shbwn jn"Fif 1 1re2,Ito eaus rhe greater gportion'of time came 60 and BI to be turned downwardly to engage the .fl'at; portion '32iof the plate 30 and'tomovethfe freejedges of the p ates 21 and 's'ilapartfrom e'achjothen, Tl'iei'castr rollers 40 and M willlthen also meveiaweyirem the upper plate 2]inengagement,With'itheLfioor F'a'nd lift-tir less, 10' to inclusive, r m en! gagem'ent with "the ,floior' Ffso that j'th, 0 time: will be supported by t ejcasterroners.

V Itwil1;be observedl'thatth'e cams1BO andQG;L-are each providedwi'th' stopsor pro'iectidnsefiteahd '61; respectively, which} are .ipos'i'tionedc'jii'sit mast dead-"center or the: hl'ghestmp'ol'ritlon the lr espece ti'vetcams cc anus?! and; tne'lea ishait A's-11s rotated ina counter-clockwise Idi'rectiomthestops 65 and *BFwill" engage the sur'face-f32tof-i-the plate at fimmediatel y after. the .cama scariest! reach dead-center p'ci's'itioh a 11ustratedti r i 2," atjwhic'h time the eesteeronersta nandlfl t: will be disposed in ruuymw'ered(eositibnend willfsups port the entire. weighttofa the-. cabinet The stops '66 and s 1 in this position. engage the are; portion 132,101. the tlo'wer plat-e SiLand preventdhe cams from rotating rim-hep int-a counter clocke wise direction and, of course;z sinee th'ec-high points of: the car 60 .Fand i6 I are beyc'nd deadcenter they; detect Jilb Ve in a clockwise;;direc-= tron; Thus; the suspect aiidffil rpreventkcollapse of the retr ctablevcasteriunit Sinceath'e, stops 6 6,an'd .61 are positioned just beyond dead-center on the cams, 5 I1 and. 54-, there will. be ncntendency for the cams .to -,cfontinue to rotate-tin afcounter-i clockwise..directioh.eand it-will-thus be'pbserved that the caster rollerslflQahdJl wilkbe heldisee curely jin' loweredposition -=to-sul l;29 ,t the entire weight ofthe cabinet 5 0 and:toapermitltheg-same to moved m place toanother; Y

When it is desireg do again 'lowemthercabmet 1n, the camshaft Aljmakbe rot t m un;

sagas tar-clockwise or clockwise direction so that the high points of the cams 60 and 6| will be disposed above the cam shaft 4'! to thus permit the plate 21 to move downwardly towards the caster rollers 40 and 4|, and the weight of the cabinet to then be supported by the legs 20 and 23, inclusive. I

It will thus be observed that there is provided an improved caster unit comprising an upper plate having a lower plate hingedly connected thereto and a cam shaft suitably journaled in bearings secured to the upper plate and having a pair of cams disposed thereon in off-center relation thereto and being provided with means for rotating said cams to dead center position to cause the same to engage the lower plate to move the plates apart from each other so as to support an article of furniture for movement on the caster rollers.

It is evident that the upper plate 21 could be omitted and the bearing blocks 44 and 45 could be secured to the lower surface of the bottom [8 of the cabinet I ll. Also, the lower plate 38 would then be hingedly connected to the bottom l8 of the cabinet I0.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims;

We claim:

. 1. An improved caster unit for an article of furniture and the like having a. bottom and also having means, such as legs for supporting the bottom of the article, said improved caster unit comprising an upper plate member adapted to be secured to the lower surface of the bottom of said article, a lower plate member hingedly connected to the upper plate member and disposed beneath the upper plate member, a cam shaft supported for rotation by the upper plate member and being disposed beneath the upper plate member and in parallel relation thereto, a pair of casters secured to the lower surface of the lower plate and spaced apart from each other in substantially parallel relation to the cam shaft, said casters having rollers rotatably mounted thereon, at least one eccentric cam fixedly mounted on said cam shaft and normally having its highest point disposed above the cam shaft the periphery of said cam being in engagement with the lower plate and manually operable means for imparting rotation to the cam shaft to move the highest point of said cam about the axis of the cam shaft to thereby cause the upper plate member to move away from the lower plate member to elevate the article in so doing and whereby the weight of the article will be supported by the rollers of said caster unit for moving the article from one place to another.

2. In a structure according to claim 1, said eccentric cam comprising at least one disk fixedly mounted on the cam shaft and in off-center relation thereto, a stop member projecting from the periphery of said disk and'being disposed at a point spaced from the high point of the cam relative to the point at which the lower plate member is hingedly connected to the upper plate member when the high point of the cam is disposed in operative position below the cam shaft to thus prevent unintentional rotation of the cam and its corresponding cam shaft beyond a predetermined point as the stop projection engages the upper surface of the lower plate member and upon the weight of the article being supported by the rollers of said caster unit. V

3. An improved caster unit for an article of furniture and the like having a bottom and also having means for supporting the bottom of the article, said improved caster unit comprising a relatively thin upper plate adapted to be secured to the lower surface of the bottom of said article, a lower plate hingedly connected to the upper plate and disposed beenath the upper plate, a cam shaft supported for rotation by the upper plate and being disposed beneath and in parallel closely spaced relation to the lower surface of said upper plate, at least two casters secured to the lower surface of the lower plate and being spaced apart from each other in substantially parallel relation to the cam shaft, said casters having rollers rotatably mounted thereon, at least one eccentric cam fixedly mountedon said cam shaft with its peripheryin engagement with the lower plate and normally having its highest point disposed above the cam shaft, manually operable means for imparting rotation to the cam shaft to move the highest point of said cam about the axis of the cam shaft to thereby cause the upper plate to move away from the lower plate to elevate the article in so doing, whereby the weight of the article will be supported by the rollers of said caster unit for moving the article from one place to another, and said upper plate having an opening therethrough through which the high point of said cam may project when said high point is disposed above the cam shaft.

4. An improved caster unit for an article of furniture and the like having a bottom provided with a plurality of cavities therein and also having means for supporting the bottom of the article, said improved caster unit comprising an upper plate adapted to be secured to the lower surface of the bottom of said article, a lower plate hingedly connected to the upper plate and disposed beneath the upper plate, a cam shaft supported for rotation by the upper plate and being disposed beneath and in parallel closely spaced relation to the lower surface of said upper plate, at least two casters secured to the lower surface of the lower plate and being spaced apart from each other in substantially parallel relation to the cam shaft, said casters having rollers rotatably mounted thereon, at least one eccentric cam fixedly mounted on said cam shaft with its periphery in engagement with the lower plate and normally having its highest point disposed above the cam shaft, manually operable means for imparting rotation to the cam shaft to move the highest point of said cam about the axis of' the cam shaft to thereby cause the upper plate to move away from the lower plate to elevate the article in so doing, whereby the weight of the article will be supported by the rollers of said caster unit for moving the article from one place to another, and said upper plate having an opening therethrough adapted to coincide with one of the cavities in the bottom of the cabinet and through which the high point of said cam may project when said high point is disposed above the cam shaft.

5. An improved caster unit for an article of furniture and the like having a bottom and also having means, such as legs, for supporting the bottom of the article, said improved caster unit comprising an upper plate member adapted to be secured to the lower surface of the bottom of said article, a lower plate member hingedly con- 7 nested. to. thelupner plate membe and. diseased ben th the upper plate mem er, said lcwervplate member having a portionextendingzat gan'angle from said hingepoint anclia flatnortioniextending, in spaceisubstantialljn parallerrela'tion to said upper plate member when said Toaster unit is in operative position, aicamshaftisupported for rotation b'ythe upper .plateomernber and being disposed bfen'eath .t the upper. plate: member and in parallel relation thereto, .a pair of casters secured tothe lo'weitssurfacesofithe lower plate and spaced apart from eaclilpther in substantially parallel relation: to the camshaft; saiglfil casters having. rollers rotatably. mounted. thereon at least one eccentric cam fixedly mountedlonsaid cam shaft withits. peripheryinzengagement with weight. of the article vwill be SUQPQItGCh-QY. the

rollers of said oaster) unit vfor moving the article from onesplace. toianother.

6. An 1 improved oasteri .unit for an article of furniture andithe like havinglasbottom and. legs supporting. the bottom in spaced relation to the surface .on which i the article restssec-mprising ,a p r O hingediplates, One. of V sairlplates being adapted to -be :securecLto gthelbottomlofgsaid ,artiole. and i the other 1 of said plates having roaster .rollers mounted thereon; a cam shaft supported for rotation byioneiof .said pl-ates and-attleast-one eccentric earn on saidc'am shaft having its peiph ry .1 1 en a ement with theoth r--of-*a d plates during-;at"ileast amortion of its rotation whereby'rotation of said-camshaftwill' causesaid plates to move'apart from each other or" to a1- lbw-saidplates-to move toward each other-"to raise"or"lower said article relative-to its supportingsurface.

An improved-caster unit for-an'a'rtic le of furniture and *the like "having "a bottom "and legs supporting "the-bottom in spaced relation to the surfaceion'which the article rests comprising" an upper-plate and'a lower platehingedly interconnected, said upperplatebeing adapted to be secured to the bottom of saidarticle, the lower plate having caster rollers depending therefrom, a cam shaft'supporteclior rotation by'saidnpper plate, at least'one'eccentric camon said cam'shaft with'its periphery'in engagement withisaidlower plate during at least a portion ofitsrotation, whereby rotation of said. camshaft will cause said plates. tomove apart from eachother or to al.- low saidplates to .move' tow ard'ea'eh other .to raise or lower said article relative to its supporting' surface.

.ROBER-II G. ROSS; JR. JOHN P." ROSS.

Referenees Cited in the file of this; patent UNITED sT 'rEs PATENTS Number" Name Date 184,342 (logger Nov. 14'', 1876 935,289 Flood Sept.:.28; 1909 2,309,214 Rey" Jan. 26, 1943 2, 334g3'6k vavriktet 'al. .L Nov; 16; 1943 

